For decades, we have proactively engaged young people as partners for peace. However, the wider peace and security community has historically seen youth as either victims of violence who are in need of protection or potential perpetrators of violence who need to be stopped.
We have also advocated for this to change, as well as for more recognition of the positive roles that young people play as peacebuilders. In 2015, we were successful in these efforts when the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. While the resolution recognizes the importance of partnering with young people for peace, it also requested an in-depth study on youth, peace and security. This study has now been released under the title The Missing Peace.
The Missing Peace is the result of a collaborative effort from across the United Nations, civil society and academia. We were intimately involved in all stages of this process as co-chair of the UN Inter-Agency Working Group on Youth and Peacebuilding and as a member of the Study’s steering committee. As contributors to the research for this study, we are helping to turn the words of the resolution into action. The insight from results of this research will inform strategies for implementing UNSCR 2250.
Here are some important findings that the study highlights:
- At least one in four young people between the ages of 15 and 29 are directly affected by armed conflict or organized violence.
- Policy making has frequently been based on myths that assume bulging youth populations are a threat to peace. The study debunks these myths by showing that there is no clear correlation between large youth populations and violence.
- There is little reliable evidence for the widespread assumption that youth unemployment and violence are correlated.
- Young people feel excluded from meaningful civic and political participation. They mistrust systems of patronage and corrupt governance that lack the will and capacity to address their grievances. This has led many young people to withdraw from formal politics and instead, create alternative avenues for participation.
- Young people organize in diverse ways, through both formal organizations as well as informal movements and groups.
- Youth are involved in all phases of peace and conflict cycles, from prevention to humanitarian support to post-conflict truth and reconciliation processes.
- Young people also address different forms of violence, including violent extremism, political conflict, organized criminal violence, sexual and gender-based violence, among others.
The Progress Study was conducted through a unique participatory approach, eliciting insights from 4,320 young people in 27 countries, through face-to-face discussions, focus groups, regional and national consultations, country-focused studies, thematic papers, surveys, and mapping exercises. Our contributions to this participatory process include a global mapping of youth-led peace organizationsand consultations with engaged and disengaged young men and womenin Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia.
Based on the information gathered, The Missing Peacemakes a number of recommendations to governments, the United Nations, and others. These include:
Investing in young people’s capacities, agency, and leadership by:
- Providing greater and flexible funding for young people, their initiatives, and their organizations. The study recommends an investment of at least $1.8 billion by 2025, representing $1 per young person
- Prioritizing the building of organizational capacities and networks of young people, expanding on the diversity of youth and their creative approaches toward sustaining peace
- Including young people in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programmes related to peace and security
Transforming the systems that reinforce exclusion to address the structural barriers limiting youth participation in peace and security by:
- Supporting young people’s political participation, including through inclusion in peace processes, and a lower age of eligibility for running for office
- Protecting young people, upholding their rights, and involving them in security sector reforms and human rights mechanisms
- Prioritizing young people’s meaningful, broader economic inclusion, beyond just jobs, and ensuring employment programs reach the most marginalized youth groups
- Capitalizing on the role of education as a tool for peace and protecting educational institutions from violence
- Addressing the grievances and needs of young women, sexual minorities, young refugees and IDPs, and former combatants by tackling harmful stereotypes and including them in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies and programs that address their specific needs
Establishing partnerships and collaborative action where youth are viewed as equal and essential partners for peace at the national, regional, and global levels by:
- Forming Youth, Peace and Security coalitions that consult and actively include young people to define indicators and national objectives for the implementation of UNSCR 2250
- Supporting research and data collection on youth, peace, and security
- Reforming United Nations mechanisms to include channels for youth participation, dialogue, and accountability. This includes youth advisory boards at the country, regional, and headquarter levels, as well as periodic and standard briefings from youth to the Security Council and annual reporting from the Secretary-General to the Security Council on UN-wide efforts to implement UNSCR 2250.
Check out the full study on this interactive page.
A summary version of the study prepared for the UN Security Council is available